Helen Baghdoyan, Ph.D.

Bio

Helen Baghdoyan, Ph.D. was recruited to the University of Michigan in 1999. She holds Professorial level appointments in the Departments of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Psychiatry. Her research program has been continuously funded by the National Institute of Mental Health since 1989. She uses in vivo neurochemistry to identify interacting neuronal circuits that generate different states of arousal, such as sleep and anesthesia. A specific pattern of brain electrical activity, called spindles, occurs during natural sleep, is induced by some anesthetics, and is impaired in patients with schizophrenia. Common neurochemical mechanisms may generate spindles during sleep and anesthesia, and dysfunction of these mechanisms may contribute to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Dr. Baghdoyan welcomes undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students into her laboratory. She is co-director of the first comprehensive course on sleep at the University of Michigan, entitled “Sleep: Neurobiology, Medicine, and Society.” A mentoring award from the medical school recently recognized her commitment to teaching and research.